Words of Love
by Senshi of Ruin
Summary: When Kei and Sho finally admit their feelings for each other, they decide to consummate their new relationship, which proves to be more difficult than either of them thought.
1. Part One

**Words of Love**

**By Senshi of Ruin **

**A/N: **This is my first attempt at a humorous Moon Child fanfiction, which makes a change I think from the usual angst I put the characters through XD I hope everyone enjoys it – I'm told it's very funny but I'll leave that for all you readers to decide. If it does make you smile at least, please leave me a review to let me know.

**Thorned Rose:** Again, this one's dedicated to you – thanks for you help with this hun -hugs-

**Part One: **

Sho sat on the floor of the apartment that he shared with Kei, his back leaning up against the leather-sofa bed where the vampire slept. He absently flicked his lighter a couple of times until it remained lit, his blue eyes staring intently into the flames as he was lost deep in his own thoughts.

Sho was now twenty and he had known Kei for exactly eleven years today; he knew this because he had, as a boy, marked the day on a tattered calendar in red pen and had been doing so every year since. All he had done was circle the date. He had certainly never said anything to Kei about it and thus the occasion had gone unmarked. Sho had felt silly and childish to keep doing this once he had reached his teens, but Kei, and their friendship, meant a lot to him and he wanted the date that they met to be marked in his own way. He did this by just taking a few minutes to remember the day that he had found Kei burning and how Sho, only a small boy, had managed to drag the vampire's unresisting form onto a trolley so that he might be pulled into the shade. Sho could still remember a pair of confused, brown eyes staring dully at him, lacking understanding at his actions. Sho wasn't even sure why he had saved Kei himself at first. There had just been something about Kei that had drawn Sho to him and when Kei had, in turn, saved Sho's life and the lives of the two people he cared about, Sho felt the connection between them deepen.

When he was a boy, Sho had admired and looked up to Kei as though he were an older brother. All Sho ever wanted to be was like Kei and had constantly kept in Kei's shadow, copying his every move and admiring in the stealth and grace of the vampire.

When he was a teenager, Sho thought he knew better than Kei. Entering a rebellious stage, they had often argued and Sho's stubborn streak ensured that such disagreements went on for days on end before he would swallow his pride and make amends. Kei was never angry, but did berate him for his actions, reminding Sho that he could not be there to protect him during the daylight hours.

Now that Sho was a young man, his feelings had changed. He still admired and respected Kei, still rebelled against Kei's advice at times, but mingled in with all this was another emotion, one that ran much deeper. Sho loved Kei.

He had realised this one bright afternoon when the vampire, having awoken from one of his nightmares, lamented bitterly on his curse. It tore Sho up inside that Kei hated himself so much that he would go for weeks on end without blood just because the guilt became too much for him.

It was when Kei was at his weakest that the nightmares grew in strength and Sho had been forced to wake him. With an uncharacteristic display of emotion, Kei had declared that perhaps it would have been better for everyone if he had died alongside Luka that day so long ago.

This hurt and frightened Sho for he feared that, one-day, Kei might do just that. If Kei died, Sho realised then, he would have no reason to live anymore. Kei was everything to him.

He had held the smaller man in his arms, wanting nothing more than to tell Kei that he loved him, but Sho just couldn't find the words and, all too soon, the moment was past. Kei recovered himself enough to ease himself from Sho's embrace and, both feeling awkward, he had retired to the bedroom, where he had remained for the rest of the day.

Now, eleven years to the day that Kei had entered his life, Sho was trying to find the courage to finally tell Kei how much he cared about him. Kei was so despondent lately and Sho was terrified that he might one day wake up and find Kei gone. He hoped that, perhaps, if Kei knew that he was loved, needed, that he might find it within himself to carry on.

Swallowing hard, Sho stood up, closing his lighter and slipping it back into his pocket as he did so. This was it. It was now or never.

Leaning over the bed, he saw that Kei was in a deep sleep. The vampire was lying on his side, his face towards Sho. One arm was hanging slightly off the side of the bed and the other was at his side. His brows were drawn together in a frown, which made Sho suspect that he was having one of his nightmares again.

"Kei?" The younger man placed a hand on the vampire's shoulder and shook him gently. "Kei?"

He pouted when he gained no response. It was so tempting just to forget it now, to leave the matter alone but Sho had been worrying himself for weeks over this and was determined not to let it go, even if Kei rejected him, the not knowing was worse.

Smiling, Sho leaned further over the vampire with the intention of kissing him; that would wake him up, Sho thought to himself with a confident smirk. As he bent forward to do just that, Kei's hand suddenly clenched into a fist and he lashed out at Sho.

Sho cried out as Kei's fist struck him and he found himself being thrown backwards across the room, due to Kei's vampiric strength. He slammed painfully against the opposite wall and couldn't help but let a small cry escape him.

At this, Kei's eyes shot open as he realised in horror what he had just done.

"Sho!" Kei leapt up and ran to his friend's side, kneeling down beside him. "Sho, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

"Fine" Sho grumbled, taken aback as well as annoyed by this unexpected turn of events. Gingerly, he reached a hand up to touch his jaw, but Kei also reached up to make contact with the tender flesh and they ended up with Sho's hand on his lower jaw and Kei's hand atop of his.

Embarrassed, Kei let his hand drop, but Sho grabbed it before it could completely fall back to his side.

"Kei," he began urgently, before he could lose his nerve, "there's something I need to tell you."

There was no doubt as to the seriousness in his voice, but Kei was more concerned about Sho's jaw and brushed him off by saying, "I'll go and get an icepack from the kitchen."

"No." Sho said and winced as a sharp pain shot down his jaw line.

Kei raised an eyebrow and managed to free his wrist. Getting up, he hurried into the kitchen before Sho could say anything more.

Annoyed, Sho stood up and went over to sit down on Kei's sofa bed to await the icepack in a subdued silence.

He didn't have to wait long. Kei returned and sat down beside him. He had wrapped the icepack up in an old tea towel and leaned over to gently apply it to Sho's jaw.

"I'm so sorry." Kei repeated, hanging his head in remorse.

"Don't worry---ow" Sho winced again before continuing, "I should know better than to lean down over a sleeping vampire by now."

He could tell that this brought Kei little comfort but the vampire now had a distinctly curious look on his face, "Why were you leaning over me?"

This was it. This was his chance, Sho knew, this was his last chance.

"I was going to kiss you." He said matter-of-factly.

Kei was very taken aback by this and took a minute or two before reply, "Why?"

"Because… because I love you." Sho blurted out in a rush, turning his head away, just knowing that he was going to be rejected at any moment. There was no way that Kei could love him back.

"How can you love me?" Kei asked quietly, his response stunning Sho. "I'm a monster."

"No you're not." Sho replied, recovering himself quickly.

"I drain the lives of others," Kei said softly, looking away from Sho's eyes, "I drink _blood, _Sho. You cannot love me."

"You can't tell me how I feel," Sho answered stubbornly as he scooted closer to Kei, "It's you I love, Kei. I love everything about you. What you have to do so that you _survive_ would never make me feel any different about you."

"And when I look at you, I don't see a monster." He added when Kei failed to reply.

Kei remained silent but it was obvious from his expression that Sho's words meant a lot to him.

"What about you, Kei?" Sho now became nervous, hesitant. "How do you feel about me?"

"I… I love you" came the unexpected and quiet reply, "But we can't--"

Sho cut Kei's protests off by leaning forward and pressing his lips to the vampire's. He could feel Kei shaking against him, struggling with himself it would seem, but, after a few seconds, Kei brought a hand up to rest on the back of Sho's neck as the kiss deepened.

Grinning, Sho reluctantly pulled back from the vampire, ready to silence further protests, but there were none. Reaching out, Kei drew Sho into another heated kiss.

* * *

"I was going to kiss you."

"Why?"

"Because… because I love you."

Kei had been very taken aback by Sho's admission. Still feeling guilty at unintentionally hurting the younger man moments before, Kei had taken a moment or two to process such a confession.

He had always loved Sho, right from the beginning he had loved the boy, needed him almost and, although Kei had always kept his feelings to himself, he had been pretty sure that Sho couldn't possibly return them.

"How can you love me? I'm a monster."

"No you're not."

"I drain the lives of others so that I might live. I drink _blood, _Sho. You cannot love me."

It was true, no matter what Sho said. Kei was a monster; there was no getting away from that fact. He cursed his very existence, seeing only the evil creature that killed to survive. The monster was all Kei could ever see when he looked in the mirror. How could Sho see anymore than that?

"You can't tell me how I feel. It's you I love, Kei. I love everything about you. What you have to do so that you survive would never make me feel any different about you. And when I look at you, I don't see a monster."

This was why Sho's words touched him. The young man had always been self-confident, saying the first thing that came into his head, regardless of the consequences and, coupled with his stubbornness and pride, Sho had become a very wilful young man whose passion and energy could, on occasion, even drag Kei from his self-pity and despair.

Sho had often shouted at him, telling Kei that he was not a monster, but to hear those words spoken so honestly and with so much feeling; Kei almost believed that they were true.

"What about you, Kei? How do you feel about me?"

Kei loved Sho, but the logic inside of him was telling him to reject Sho's declaration. It would be for the young man's own good, Kei told himself. Kei would live forever whilst Sho would age and, eventually, die. To be together would cause each other more pain, but, when Kei looked into Sho's eyes, he realised just how much it had taken for Sho to tell Kei that he loved him. To reject him for being so honest and laying his heart on the line like that... it would break Sho, Kei knew and he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

"I… I love you. But we can't--" Kei began, trying to make Sho realise that, even though the feelings between them were mutual, this kind of relationship could never be. Sho, however, was determined and cut Kei off by kissing him.

For a moment thought of pushing him away, but the emotions that he was feeling right now were too strong for him to simply let the moment pass. Sho loved him so why should he deny himself some momentary happiness? He always knew, deep down, that when Sho was gone, he would die. He would not be able to continue living without that one thing that made bearing his curse worthwhile. In short, Kei could not live without Sho.

It was Kei who instigated their second kiss. A moan escaped Sho when Kei ran his tongue over Sho's bottom lip, lapping up the few spots of blood there from earlier, before Sho parted his lips, allowing Kei access.

In response, the younger man slipped his hands up the tank top that Kei wore and moments later they parted so that it could be removed. Then, after removing his own, Sho kissed Kei again, pushing him back down onto the sofa bed as he did so.

As Sho straddled Kei's waist, Kei realised that things were progressing rather quickly. It wasn't that he didn't want it, but more that he felt a little unsure. Should they really be taking things this far so soon? Did Sho really want this, too, or was he feeling as though he had to?

These questions were sooner answered when Sho reached down and entangled a hand in Kei's hair, engaging him in another kiss, whilst his other hand worked on undoing the zipper on the baggy trousers that Kei wore.

His lips then left Kei's and worked their way downwards, playfully nipping at the vampire's throat and then biting down harder. Sho grinned at the gasp that this elicited from Kei and bit the same spot again.

Kei growled a little beneath him at these fleeting touches. Sho smirked and moved back so that he could look down at the vampire.

"Sho, I--" Kei started, a little breathlessly and he felt secretly amazed that the younger man could have such an effect on him.

"It's okay." Sho assured him with a small smile. "It's okay."

Kei held his gaze for a second longer and, as though to accentuate his words; Sho reached down and yanked Kei's trousers off completely, together with his underwear, before descending on the blonde again.

"Lube." Kei murmured as Sho tried to kiss him again. As far as he knew, Sho hadn't had much experience and Kei had to admit he was a little apprehensive, however he knew it would be a blow to Sho's pride to suggest they reverse roles for the first time.

Sho drew back, blushing a little at not considering this, before giving Kei another confident grin as he got up.

Kei closed his eyes and shifted his position on the bed slightly so that he wasn't as crushed up against the wall. He could hear Sho cursing and crashing around in various cupboards for what seemed like an age. If he didn't hurry up, the moment would be lost, Kei thought in minor annoyance and he was about to call out when the younger man returned.

He still appeared a little flushed when Kei opened his eyes upon his return.

"Kei, we don't actually have any." He began and Kei mentally kicked himself for not having the sense to think ahead, but then again, being with Sho like this and forging such an intimate connection between them had not been on his agenda, even if his hidden feelings had tortured him for years now.

"Don't worry." Sho sat down on the edge of the bed and held up the bottle that he had been hiding behind his back, "We can improvise."

"Cooking oil?" Kei stared almost in disbelief at the bottle, momentarily losing his composure. There were rare moments when Sho rendered him almost speechless and this was one of them.

"I know it's not ideal but--"

"Not ideal? Sho, you cook your food with that!"

He shrugged, becoming a little defensive now; "Well I'm not going to use it after this, am I?"

Kei sat up, partly because he was annoyed but mainly to ensure that his ass was protected against any sudden assault from Sho and/or the bottle of cooking oil. "No way." He declared, again wincing at how childish he suddenly sounded. "You're not putting that anywhere near my ass."

Sho sighed, and spoke patiently, as though Kei _were _a child. "Well what do you suggest then?"

"That I'll be the one on top for starters."

"Fine." Sho snapped back.

This actually worked out to Kei's advantage, the vampire mused, as he added, "And where are your condoms?"

Again Sho blushed as he admitted quietly, "I don't have any."

"What?"

"Well do you?"

"Sho, in case you've forgotten, I'm a vampire. Vampire's cannot pass on diseases and cannot get women pregnant."

"Then why the hell do you need them?"

"Because I am not lubing my bare self up with cooking oil."

Sho pouted angrily, "When did you become so fastidious?"

An uncomfortable silence followed and, seeing the disappointed look on Sho's face, Kei started to feel guilty.

"Look," he said as diplomatically as he could, "why don't you go to the pharmacy, and buy some lube and condoms."

"Why don't you go to the store?"

"Because if I go out in the daytime, you'll be screwing nothing but a pile of ash."

Sho scowled and smacked Kei lightly on the head, "Baka. We can go after dark then. There's a pharmacy across the city that stays open twenty-four hours a day."

He was embarrassed, Kei realised with some amusement. Sho had probably never brought the aforementioned items before. Suppressing a grin, Kei agreed to Sho's plan but was dismayed when the younger man got up from the bed and started to walk away.

Despite their disagreement, Kei was conscious that, mostly, he was still aroused. Squirming uncomfortably at this, he called after Sho: "What are you going to do about this in the meantime?"

Sho looked back over his shoulder and smirked. With a devilish twinkle in his eye, he suggested smugly, "Why don't you have a cold shower?"

* * *

The rest of the afternoon, much to Sho's displeasure, passed agonisingly slowly. He spent the time in their front room, watching television whilst Kei slept. It had been his stubborn pride that had not let him admit to Kei that he was a little embarrassed to go to the pharmacy alone. It was stupid really, but Sho couldn't help but feel uncomfortable and, childishly, he didn't see why he had to go on his own.

So he had pretended to be cool about waiting when really it was all he could do not to jump on the vampire. Sho was elated that Kei returned his feelings and he wanted them to consummate their new relationship as soon as possible. Hence that he forced his embarrassment to the back of his mind and, when it finally grew dark, he was quick to switch the television off and grab his car keys.

Kei habitually always knew when it had gotten dark and woke as Sho was putting his shoes on.

He knew that Kei should be pissed off with him, as Sho would have felt the same had the roles been reversed, but Kei was much more tolerant and greeted him with a kiss which was eagerly returned. This prompted Sho to suggest that they get going.

Once they got outside, however, Sho had thought that he was going to drive, so he was nonplussed when Kei took the keys from him and slipped behind the wheel.

"What are you doing?" he demanded with the hint of a pout.

"Driving." Kei answered, as he leaned over to unlock the passenger door.

"Yeah, I can see that, but why?"

"Because you don't have a license."

"Nor do you! And that's never bothered you before."

Kei sighed impatiently. "It wouldn't normally but do you really want to get stopped tonight of all nights?"

"No." Sho frowned, still pausing by the driver's door. "But what makes you so sure that we won't be pulled over with you behind the wheel?"

"Because when I drive the car doesn't try to take out every trash can in the neighbourhood and we don't end up on completely the wrong side of the road."

Sho grit his teeth, knowing that Kei was right but not wanting to admit it. Instead, he playfully tousled Kei's hair and forced a smirk before saying, "If you want to drive that badly, all you have to do is say so."

Mercifully the drive to the pharmacy was uneventful. A little apprehensively, Sho followed Kei inside, noting that it was pretty much deserted at this time. Even the clerk was nowhere in sight.

He trailed behind Kei as the vampire located the correct aisle not seeming embarrassed at all and Sho envied him for having that much confidence.

"There." Kei nodded to the display that they had come to a standstill in front and Sho looked up at him and frowned slightly.

"I didn't realise there were so many types." He said, making it clear that he had never bought condoms before.

Kei rolled his eyes. He was starting to feel uncomfortable now and he hoped, for his sake, that Sho wasn't going to make a scene.

Seeing that he was on his own, Sho picked a packet at random and then grabbed a tube of lubricant, "There." He said, trying not to let Kei see how awkward he felt, "You can go up with them," he added with a smile.

Kei raised an eyebrow at this, "No." He answered shortly.

"Why not?"

"Because…" Kei paused, "Because you're holding them."

He was embarrassed, too, Sho realised and a devilish smirk appeared across his face at this realisation.

"You're not feeling self-conscious, are you, Kei?" He teased lightly, annoying the vampire who huffed angrily and snapped back.

"Of course not."

"Then." Sho grinned and suddenly pushed the items in question into Kei's chest. Instantly he reached out to grab them to stop them falling on the floor and Sho laughed. "Prove it!" he challenged.

"No." Kei tried to give them back but Sho darted away and laughed again.

"Why not, Kei?"

"Because." Kei stepped closer and hissed in Sho's face, "You were the one who wanted to be seme!"

"But you were the one who insisted on using condoms and lube."

"Have you ever had sex without lube? It hurts… a lot."

"Wimp."

"Cry-baby."

"Short ass."

"Pretty boy."

"You can hardly talk."

"Whiner."

"Emo."

"Toshi!"

"Hey! I know we're trading insults, but that's low, even for you."

"No." Kei rolled his eyes, "Toshi's here."

"Where?" Sho glanced around, his eyes widening when he saw his friend emerging from the backroom behind the counter. "What's he doing here?"

"I don't know." Kei took the opportunity to shove the packet of condoms and lube back into Sho's hands. "Here you go."

"What? No way! I am not going up with these now! I have my reputation to think about! Toshi will never let me live this down."

Upon hearing the commotion that his two 'customers' were making, Toshi looked up and waved.

"Sho, Kei. What are you two doing here?"

"Kei!" Sho pleaded and the vampire relented, "Fine, we'll go up with one item each. It will probably look less suspicious anyway."

"Great." Sho held onto the packet of condoms, leaving Kei with the more 'incriminating' item as he hurried off towards the counter. Kei grumbled something under his breath and grabbed a packet of aspirin as he followed Sho's lead.

"I didn't know you worked here." Sho said casually as he approached the counter.

"Happy Pizza's pay isn't that great." Toshi replied, "So I work here on weekends. Where else do you think I get the drugs from?" He added in a lower voice.

It had never occurred to Sho to ask where the drugs had come from but now he was really wishing that he had done. He was sure he was blushing as he put the packet of condoms down on the counter.

"So who's the lucky girl?" Toshi asked him with a sly smile.

"K--Yi-che." Sho choked out, hoping that Toshi hadn't noticed the slip of tongue.

He didn't appear to but he did raise an eyebrow in surprise, "Does Son know?"

"Of course not and don't tell him. He gets kind of protective you know."

"Yeah?" Toshi laughed and rung up the amount on the till, "Well good luck then."

"Thanks."

"Enjoy your night." He said with a wink as he handed Sho his change.

"Don't worry." Sho smiled, "I will."

Sho moved away from the counter to wait for Kei and noted that the blonde looked _very _uncomfortable when he handed his items to Toshi.

Ringing the lube price up on the till, Toshi looked at Kei with surprise.

"It's for my hands." Kei snapped defensively and then realised, with horror, that this sounded decidedly worse. "I mean… my rings keep getting stuck on my fingers and the lube makes it easier to get them off."

That was the most pathetic lie that Sho had ever heard but he was too amused at the fact that Kei was blushing to worry if Toshi believed it or not.

"I see." Toshi certainly didn't look convinced but at least he didn't know what they really wanted the lube and condoms for. "What about the aspirin? Do you have a headache?"

"No." Kei mumbled as he handed Toshi some coins, "But I have a feeling I will do."

Not understanding the heated look that Kei and Sho gave each other, Toshi wished them both a good evening.

Kei practically ran out of the pharmacy and Sho followed him, laughing hysterically as they retreated to the car.

"For your hands?" He giggled, earning a swat round the back of the head from the shorter man, "That was the weakest excuse I've ever heard!"

"Oh yeah." Kei growled angrily, "What about you? Toshi may have missed your little name slip up, but I didn't. And, in case you have forgotten, I'm not a girl."

"I know." Sho smirked, "But you are the next best thing."

"What's _that _supposed to mean?"

"Oh don't get mad, Kei." Sho smiled, playfully encircling the smaller man and giving him a big bear hug, "Although… you look so sexy when you blush."

"Sho!" Kei squirmed angrily in his arms and Sho followed his gaze and saw that Toshi was watching them in disbelief through the window.

"Let's just go." Sho said as he opened the car door and sat down in the passenger seat.

Kei nodded in agreement and got in as well, taking a moment to stow his purchases on the dashboard.

"You know." Sho said suddenly, "I don't think I can wait until we get home."

"Sho!" Kei only half-heartedly pushed him away when Sho's hand groped between his legs. "What's got into you all of a sudden?"

"I don't know," he admitted huskily. "It must be seeing you all hot and bothered. It's a real turn on."

"Well you're going to have to wait." Kei replied, only with minor annoyance, "Toshi's still watching us."

"Then hurry up and start the car."

Kei sighed at Sho's impatience and turned the key in the ignition. The engine spluttered briefly and then died.

"What's wrong with it?" Sho demanded.

"I don't know." Kei replied, frowning as he tried the key again but nothing happened.

Sho sank back in his seat and let out a frustrated sigh, "This is just great."

Ignoring the slight accusation in Sho's voice, Kei patiently tried the key in the ignition again but still nothing.

"When did you last refuel?" He asked for lack of a better explanation as to why the car had suddenly died on them.

Sho thought for a few minutes, "A couple of days ago. I filled the tank right up."

"Then there must be something else wrong with it. We'll have to walk back and call the garage to pick it up in the morning."

Kei knew that they hadn't used the car for any long distance journeys since then and he didn't quite understand it. Then he became aware of Sho squirming uncomfortably beside him and the increasingly apprehensive and almost guilty look on the younger man's face.

"Kei." Sho began nervously, "Yesterday afternoon, whilst you were sleeping… I went out in the car."

"Sho--" Kei started, trying to appear less angry than he actually was. Although Kei was relaxed enough about Sho driving without enough road experience or a license, he had categorically told the younger man that he was not to drive the car alone. He only let Sho drive at all because Kei knew that he could trust in his faster reflexes to divert any danger that Sho might put them in.

"I know." Sho snapped defensively, "But it was an emergency. Toshi called from work. He said that some of Chan's lot were trailing him. He was worried about leaving on his scooter so he asked me to pick him up. It turned out that he was right and we had to take a little detour before we got rid of them. I was going to fill the tank up again today but then… other things happened."

"Why didn't you wake me?" Even though Sho's reason was a good one, it didn't make Kei feel any better.

"Because… because it was a nice day. You couldn't have helped and I didn't want to upset you."

An uncomfortable silence followed. Sho was angry with Kei for forcing him to mention yesterday's events. At Sho's words, Kei once again had been reminded that he couldn't protect the people who meant the most to him during the day and this hurt, even though he should be used to it by now.

"You don't have to lie to spare my feelings, Sho." Kei said at last and this only angered Sho further.

"I knew you'd get like this if I mentioned it."

"Get like what?"

"All down and depressed. I hate seeing you like that. I always worry that… that you might do something stupid. It's not as if me needing you would stop you." This last part was quieter and Sho looked away after speaking.

"You don't need me." Kei said lightly, trying to dispel the suddenly heavy atmosphere between them.

"I do. You're my world, Kei." Sho declared almost defensively, "I'd even die for you."

The vampire chuckled at this statement, "That would be unnecessary."

"Well I would," Sho huffed. "No matter how 'unnecessary'."

Uncomfortable at how serious things had become, Kei got out of the car and slammed the door shut with a little more force than he intended, causing Sho to complain at his heavy handedness.

"Where are you going?" he added when Kei started to walk down the road.

"Home." the vampire called over his shoulder, "We're not going anywhere just sitting in the car you know."

Sho laughed at this and only paused to snag the keys from the ignition and lock the car up before hurrying after his friend.

* * *

The streets of Mallepa were dangerous at night, even for someone as streetwise as Sho, and thus Kei had insisted that they take the scenic route back to their apartment. It had taken them over an hour and by that time Sho's feet were hurting and he was beginning to forget why they had gone out to begin with.

He kicked off his shoes and promptly slumped down on the sofa, leaving Kei to shut the door behind them.

The vampire then sat down beside him and an awkward silence ensured. Before when they kissed it had been a spur of the moment thing and a natural progression after confessing their feelings for each other but now Sho felt hesitant, unsure. Should he try to pick up where they left off or should he wait for Kei to make the first move?

Hundreds of doubts now flooded to the forefront of Sho's mind, the most prominent being 'what if Kei has changed his mind?' Sho hated making a fool of himself, especially in front of Kei and being rejected was just something that he didn't feel he could cope with.

However, as the minutes passed, Kei did not make a move. Sho cast a look at the vampire's passive expression and sighed to himself. He just didn't know who was the most stubborn out of the two of them. He shifted a little closer to Kei so that their shoulders touched, but even this went unnoticed.

Annoyed, Sho took a few more minutes to summon up the courage to lean over and gently press his lips against Kei's own. To his relief, Kei responded and within a few minutes, Sho had straddled Kei's waist and was placing several playful kisses down the column of his throat. He was amused to find that Kei's weakness was in fact his neck and, when Sho paid just the right amount of attention, he could encourage an assortment of tiny whimpers from the usually stoic vampire.

As enticing as it was to stay how they were, when Kei suggested that they take this into the bedroom, Sho was more than happy to comply. He got up so that Kei could stand and they were almost to the aforementioned bedroom before Kei said something that made Sho's heart sink.

"Did you bring the lube and condoms with you?"

"No?" Sho frowned, "I thought you had them?"

"No." Kei shook his head, "You had them last."

"I did not!" Sho winced at the pouting tone to his voice, "You had them!"

Kei sighed and leaned back against the wall. "I put them in the car." He said, thinking out loud, "But I saw you go back for them."

"No." Sho said after a few moments, "I just got the keys from the ignition. I thought you had everything else."

Kei grit his teeth in frustration, obviously feeling as annoyed with Sho as Sho did himself. He should have made sure and now… now it looked as though they would have to go back.

Sighing, Sho weighed up what was bothering him more, the aching of his feet or his un-sated arousal. The latter won out and he stood up. "Come on then. We'd better go back."

"Now?" Kei questioned.

"Yes now." Sho snapped, a little annoyed that Kei didn't seem too thrilled at this suggestion.

Kei sighed, "I'll get my coat."

_To be continued..._


	2. Part Two

**Part Two: **

On the way back to the car, at Kei's suggestion, they stopped off at a gas station and bought a can of petrol so that they didn't have to walk back home.

The journey didn't take as long due to the fact that neither of them bothered to make that much of a detour. At this point they were both keen to get what they needed and go home.

They made small talk between them until they walked round a corner and saw the car. As soon as he saw it, Kei stopped dead in his tracks and reached out to press a hand against Sho's chest, forcing him to stop too.

"What is it? Trouble?" He asked this almost hopefully, needing something to vent his frustration at tonight so far out on.

"I don't know." Kei answered, "Let me go first."

"No." Sho pouted angrily, as he glared daggers at the person sitting in the car. "It's _my_ car."

Kei rolled his eyes at Sho's stubbornness but did not stop him from following as he stepped silently up to the car. Kei had intended to surprise whomever was inside but Sho pushed passed first and grabbed the unsuspecting man round the neck.

"Get the fuck out of my car!"

"Ah! Sho!" Toshi screamed, whirling round and fighting the near-death grip that Sho had on his throat.

Immediately Sho released him and took a step back, more in confusion than anything else. "Toshi? What're you doing in my car?"

"Looking for this." Toshi answered, drawing Kei back into the conversation by holding up the tube of lubricant.

Sho almost choked as he shot a glance at his companion, "Why?"

"Look." Toshi held up his right hand, "My rings are stuck and seeing as Kei recommended this, I thought I would give it a try. I don't understand what you're doing here. I thought you had a date with Yi-Che?"

"She cancelled. Give me those." Sho was blushing furiously as he leaned over Toshi to try and snatch the packet of condoms and lube. Whilst trying to do this, Sho lost balance and all but sprawled into Toshi's lap. The other man yelled and tried to push Sho off of him.

A struggle ensured and one that Kei watched impassively for a while before intervening.

"Ah, Sho… that's my leg!"

"Stop it… just stay still, you're pulling my hair!"

"I'm trying, but you're crushing me!"

"Be careful with your feet, I don't want you damaging my car!"

Kei sighed and leaned over to grab Sho round the waist and literally picked him up and lifted him out of the car.

Toshi immediately started laughing at just how easily the blonde was able to pick Sho up. It was even more comical to him as Kei was a good few inches shorter and more slightly built than Sho.

Sho scowled, looking increasingly annoyed when he saw the amused expression on Kei's face.

He had managed to retrieve the items that they had come back for and he retaliated by shoving the tube at Kei's chest and snarling, "Here's your lubricant, Kei." Before storming off down the road in a huff.

Toshi ceased laughing and looked a little worried; it wasn't safe to go racing off through Mallepa at night.

"I'll go after him." Kei assured him.

"Good." Toshi looked relieved at this. "Do you think when you come back I could get a lift home? My scooter's broken down again."

Tonight seemed doomed from the start, Kei thought to himself in disappointment, but he wasn't about to refuse.

"Here." He handed Toshi the can of petrol. "You fill the car up and I'll go and get Sho."

Without waiting for a reply, Kei hurried off after the younger man, whilst hoping that Sho hadn't gone too far.

* * *

It had taken a little cajoling and some grovelling on Kei's behalf before he finally persuaded Sho to come back to the car. His pride had been very much dented by Kei's actions and it was only the promise from the vampire that Sho could be the seme in their relationship for three months that finally talked him round. The anticipation of them consummating their relationship had brought back a smile to his face and he didn't even mind too much when Kei explained that they had to drop Toshi back home first.

However, Kei hadn't predicted that Toshi would invite them in for something to eat. Sho's life, like most human males', revolved around food and sex and since, he had argued, he would need his stamina for the latter, he had accepted Toshi's invitation.

Oblivious to argument that followed, Toshi was rummaging around in his kitchen looking for something edible for them to eat.

"Knowing Toshi it won't be a quick bite to eat." Kei argued, well aware of how childish he sounded. Some of Sho's personality must be rubbing off on him, he thought with annoyance. "He'll keep us here for hours and we have to back before dawn."

"No we won't." Sho scooted a little closer to the vampire and slipped his arms around Kei's shoulders. "I promise and, besides, you need to eat, too. We'll have to leave before dawn in that case."

Kei winced at this thought; he hated to be reminded about his own need for sustenance. "I'll be fine." He said, a little defensively.

"I know." Sho moved closer still until his lips were hovering over Kei's own. "But I don't want you getting weak, not for what I have planned."

"Just what are you going to do to me?"

"You have no idea." Sho practically purred as he leaned forward further still to close the gap between them.

Despite his earlier promise, Kei was finding it incredibly difficult not to simply give into temptation and take Sho there and then. However, Toshi quickly ruined the mood for both of them. They barely had time to break apart before he re-entered the room. Sho soon forgot the vampire as he stood up and hurried over to Toshi.

"Thanks for the food." He said as he took the pizza box from his hands and then he sat back down on the sofa and opened the box. He was on his second slice before Toshi protested:

"Oi, Sho! Don't hog all the pizza!"

Kei smirked to himself and was content to watch as the two men ate their way through the entire pizza. Sho kept possession of the box throughout, despite several attempts by Toshi to steal it away. No matter how grown up they liked to think they were, there were still childlike qualities in them, Kei thought fondly as the two of them squabbled over the remaining slice.

As soon as the pizza was all gone, Sho tossed the empty box to one side and leaned back into the sofa.

"You know…" he said after a few minutes, "I don't feel so good, Kei."

"That's because you ate too quickly." Kei berated him, feeling a little cross now. He was beginning to think that Sho enjoyed torturing him like this.

"No." Sho shook his head, "I feel weird… lethargic."

"Oh no!" A horrified cry from Toshi distracted Kei from Sho. "I think this pizza was one of my drugged ones!"

"Toshi, you idiot!" Sho snarled, getting up from the sofa with the intention of throttling the other man.

Luckily for Toshi, the drugs worked quickly and Sho swayed where he stood before his legs gave way beneath him. Kei anticipated this and caught Sho just before he hit the floor. He eased the younger man back onto the sofa. By this point Sho was already unconscious.

"How long will the drugs last for?" Kei turned to Toshi who was still fighting against the sleep that threatened to overcome him.

"A day… maybe a little less."

_A day…_ Kei sighed. Someone up there really didn't like him at all.

* * *

It turned out that Toshi was right and the two of them slept well into the next evening. Kei busied himself with tidying the apartment and then went to sleep himself until the sun went down.

Sho woke up before Toshi and was full of apologises. "I'll make it up to you." He repeated over and over all the way home.

"You'd better." Kei repeated as he slid the key into the lock and opened their apartment door.

"Well why don't I start right now?" Sho suggested with a devilish twinkle in his eyes. He leaned over to kiss Kei, but movement across the room suddenly caught Kei's attention.

He whirled around, instinctively placing himself between Sho and the threat. He did so just in time.

Kei yelled out in pain as a heavy object connected with the side of his head and stars danced before his vision. He hadn't fed in a week and thus the blow hurt him more than it would have normally.

"Kei!" Sho cried out angrily as the blonde stumbled back into him, reeling under the blow.

Supporting Kei with one arm, Sho fumbled for the light switch and as light flooded the front room, Sho shouted out furiously: "Nii-chan? What are you doing here?"

Shinji smiled sheepishly and set down the Japanese Dictionary that he had smacked Kei over the head with, although the vampire detected a slight smugness in his smile, which went unnoticed by Sho.

"I need a place to stay for a few days." Shinji replied.

Sho sighed, "Why? What have you done now?"

He helped Kei over to the sofa and the vampire gladly sat down, closing his eyes and willing off the vertigo that was still assaulting his vision.

"I kind of owe Chan some money but the pet store hasn't been doing so well lately. I gave him what I could but it isn't enough so he sent some of his goons round. They smashed the place up and would have done the same to me had Son not warned me in advance."

"Okay. But how did you get in and why did you attack Kei?"

"Through the window. I couldn't see anything and I was just about the switch the light on when I heard voices outside the door. For all I knew you could have been Chan's guys."

"Chan's men don't have keys to our apartment." Kei pointed out irritably. It sounded more to him like Shinji wanted an excuse to cause him some pain. He had never got over the fact that Sho chose to live with Kei rather than him.

"So, let me get this straight." Sho said, a hint of anger entering his voice now. "You owe Chan money, for drugs most likely, so you do a runner and come here. You attack Kei with a dictionary and you expect me to put you up when we both know full well that this is the last place you want to be?"

"Yeah." Shinji replied with a smile.

"Okay." Sho agreed, "You can sleep on the sofa."

"What?" Kei interjected, "Sho!" He jumped up, forgetting his aching head and dragging the younger man into the kitchen. "You can't let him stay here!"

Sho gave Shinji an apologetic look and shut the door so they could talk privately. "What else can I do? He's my brother."

"And he hates me." Kei scowled and rubbed his sore head, "Not to mention we had plans this evening."

"We can still have sex if that's what you're worried about."

Kei rolled his eyes, "If he knew that I had even kissed you, he'd kill me."

"As if that's possible anyway."

"It was a figure of speech! Why can't he stay with Toshi?"

"Because Toshi can't protect him if Chan's men do come looking."

"So I have to protect him now?"

"Kei." Sho whined, "Please… just for a couple of nights. I'll make it up to you."

"You're torturing me, aren't you?"

"Kei…" Sho encircled the smaller man in a hug. "Please don't talk like that."

Kei pouted at this and buried his face in Sho's shirt. "I've had a bad few days and I'm not happy. Tell him to go and stay somewhere else."

"You know I can't do that." Sho said sadly as he stepped back from Kei. "It'll just be for a few nights – I will get something else sorted out by then I promise."

"And what about my _needs_?"

"Nii-chan's always been a heavy sleeper. We'll wait until he falls asleep and then I can start making it up to you."

"Well…" Kei took a few seconds to reconsider. "I guess I can wait a little longer."

"Great." Sho beamed and planted a kiss on the vampire's lips before hurrying back into the front room to give Shinji the 'good' news.

Kei sighed, wincing as he thought over his outburst. He cringed at how childish he had sounded. No matter what, Kei knew that they would have to consummate their relationship in the next twenty-four hours or Kei knew he would go completely insane.

* * *

After taking half an hour to have a shower, and contemplate his earlier actions, Kei was feeling a lot calmer and felt ready to be social again. His old self was emerging and, for Sho's sake as well as his own sanity, he would put up with Shinji for now. He might even be nice to him.

This resolve lasted approximately until Kei walked the short distance to the front room from his bedroom. Shinji was standing up on a chair next to the sofa and was hanging something up on the lights. Kei's noise wrinkled in disgust when he detected the scent of garlic.

Tiredly, he addressed Shinji and asked him exactly what he thought he was doing.

"I'm not taking any chances." Shinji replied, before continuing to hang the garlic up around the sofa bed that Sho had set up for him.

"Chances?" Kei repeated.

"Yes. I saw the way you looked at me when you came in. You're going to bite me the first chance you get."

"No." Kei sighed, rubbing his head as though to accentuate his next words. "I was angry with you because you threw a dictionary at my head! I don't want to bite you. Believe me, you are the last person I would want to bite."

"Even so, I'm not going to take that risk. I know you've bewitched Sho somehow so I have to look out for myself whilst I'm here."

"I haven't bewitched Sho." Kei muttered between gritted teeth. "And just so you know, garlic won't work."

"Really?" Shinji asked smugly. "Why do you look so disgusted then?"

"Because I don't like the smell of garlic." Kei snapped, too tired and annoyed to enter a full-blown argument with Shinji. "But by all means keep it hanging up there if it makes you feel safer."

With that he stormed into the kitchen, nearly knocking Sho flying as he came out with a glass of water.

"Whoa! Kei, what's up? Why does the place smell of garlic?"

"Ask your brother."

"Nii-chan?" Sho sighed. "What's he done now?"

This very much set the tone for the evening. Kei sat in an armchair across the room whilst Sho and Shinji sat on the sofa watching TV.

Every so often Kei's nose would wrinkle in disgust as he scented the garlic and each time he did Shinji would shoot him a smug smile. Sho could easily detect the tension and it was only for Sho's sake that Kei bit his tongue. Instead he smoked cigarette after cigarette as he stared mindlessly at the TV lamenting on how different the evening could have been.

Kei couldn't remember ever feeling this frustrated and the fact that he was unable to do anything about it was driving him to the brink of insanity. Grinding his teeth together, he shot another glance at Sho who slightly shook his head. The plan was to wait for Shinji to go to sleep but so far he had shown no signs of even looking tired.

The cigarettes soon ran out and Kei requested Sho's packet that was sitting on the small glass coffee table in front of them. Sho leaned forward to retrieve the packet and as he did so, Shinji sneered:

"That's a disgusting habit. Do you think the rest of us want to inhale your second hand smoke all night?" Shinji had been making these nasty little comments all night and even Sho had refrained from saying anything until now.

"It's a better habit than yours." Sho said quietly as he tossed the packet to Kei. "At least smoking won't get you shot."

"No, it'll just slowly poison you to death… oh yeah, I forgot. You're a monster so you don't have to worry."

Kei sighed and stood up. "I'm going to bed."

"Kei--" Sho protested but the vampire shook his head. "It's okay, Sho. I'll see you tomorrow evening."

As he made his way to his room, Kei heard Sho saying to Shinji: "Do you have to be so horrible to Kei all the time? He saved all of our lives remember?"

"How could I forget?" Shinji muttered darkly.

"Nii-chan--" Sho started but Kei chose to shut his bedroom door and tune out the rest of the conversation.

Tonight had been a write-off as far as he was concerned and he got into bed, hoping that perhaps Shinji would push Sho so far that he would ask his brother to leave.

Kei knew, however, that this was not likely, but it did not stop him from hoping until sleep finally claimed him.

* * *

Much to Sho's frustration, Shinji stayed up and watched TV well into the small hours. In the back of his mind, he wondered if it was deliberate but surely his brother couldn't know about Sho and Kei? If he did then he would be screaming at them both by now, Sho thought to himself.

Sho was also very angry with his brother and his treatment of Kei and, finally, when Shinji switched the television set off, Sho decided to say something.

Shinji dismissed him at first, grumbling something about Kei being a monster and then turning his back on Sho to start to set up his make-shift bed on the sofa.

"Nii-chan." Sho said again, wanting to patient with him but he'd had just about enough and it was only one night. "If you want to stay here then you have to be at least civil to Kei. This is his home, too, don't forget."

"Civil? To him? Why the hell should I?"

"Because…" Sho grit out, "If Chan and his cronies come looking for you, Kei is one person that you really want on your side."

"He hates me." Shinji replied as he fluffed up a pillow.

"He doesn't hate you." Sho lied. He could tell that Kei disliked Shinji and knew that the dislike was more than mutual but Shinji had been going out of his way to be openly nasty to Kei and, even though the vampire would not admit it, Shinji's words had hurt him. As well, because of Shinji's arrival, Sho knew that they would have to put their relationship on hold until he had left. Despite what he had said to Kei earlier, Sho just didn't think that they could risk doing anything with Shinji around. Shinji did not accept Kei as Sho's best friend, let alone anything more than that. He would freak if he knew, Sho thought to himself sadly. He wished that they could all get on but he knew that this was not likely to ever happen.

"He hates me." Shinji repeated as he sat down on the sofa and winced. "Damn it, Sho. This sofa's uncomfortable."

"What?" Sho asked, a little taken aback by the change of subject.

"I said this sofa's uncomfortable. I'm sure there's a spring coming through."

Sho sighed and went over to the sofa. He sat down beside his brother and shrugged. "It seems fine to me."

"It's not." Shinji answered. "I can't sleep on it with my bad back."

Sho sighed. Lately Shinji's leg had been giving him a lot more trouble and because of his limp it was putting strain on his back, too. "Why don't you have my bed?" He offered.

Shinji finally started to show a little gratitude and Sho eventually managed to extract a promise from him that he would try and at least get on with Kei if not anything else. This was all that Sho knew he could expect from his brother on the matter.

Shinji went to bed soon after, however, Sho stayed up and extra few minutes taking the garlic down and trying to rid the front room of the smell of it. He knew that Shinji didn't really think that Kei would bite him; he was just doing this to be nasty. As much as Sho loved his brother, Shinji could be horrible when he put his mind to it and his hostility over the years was becoming rather tiresome.

The sofa, Sho noted, as he stripped off his clothes and laid down, was not as uncomfortable as Shinji had made it out to be, or perhaps he was just used to it by now. Sighing, Sho was quickly overcome by sleep. However, when he next woke, it would be to the sound of Shinji screaming.

* * *

_Kei, like most humans, seldom knew when he was dreaming. In his mind all he cared to know was that Sho was leaning over him, kissing him, whilst his hand trailed down his abdomen to finally stroke his arousal with a practiced finesse. Kei moaned at this touch, fleeting wondering why he felt completely overwhelmed by the human, surrendering himself to Sho's touches whereas the vampire inside of him wanted to dominate._

_"Sho…" He moaned as the younger man drew back once, ceasing his kisses and his strokes to observe the vampire writhing beneath him. A smile curved Sho's lips as he sensed that Kei was entirely at his mercy and he teasingly caressed him, letting his hand linger for a moment before drawing away._

_Annoyed, Kei pushed himself up with the intention of reversing their positions, but Sho placed a hand in the centre of his chest and pushed Kei back down into the pillows with a firmness that the vampire didn't realise a human could possess._

_Sho chuckled and captured Kei's lips in a harsh and demanding kiss whilst he slipped a hand between Kei's legs, gently preparing him for what was to come._

_Another moan passed Kei's lips at this touch and he reached out to pull Sho closer still, feeling between them for Sho's erection. Sho gasped at this touch and sped up his own hand, eager to bring this to its climax._

_After a few agonising seconds, Sho withdrew and got into position. Kei was on the brink as he felt hands on his thighs, and then the dream faded into nothingness._

Kei wasn't sure what brought him back from sleep but the hardness between his legs was a good indication. He growled in frustration as he recalled the dream and the agonising knowledge that Sho was sleeping in the next room rather than in his bed.

The vampire sat up, feeling completely aroused and angered that he had no way of release. Listening, he could hear snores coming from the front room, which meant that Shinji had, at last, gone to sleep.

Kei had known that Sho didn't really want to do anything with his brother in their apartment despite what he had said to the contrary but Kei had well reached his limits. He had withstood Shinji's insults all evening and, if getting caught got rid of him permanently, then Kei was sure that this couldn't be a bad thing.

Stealthily, he got out of bed and crept down the corridor to Sho's room. Opening the door a little way, Kei could see the younger man half buried under the duvet, his back to Kei.

The vampire had intended to call out but he didn't want to wake Shinji in the process and he rather liked the idea of surprising Sho somewhat.

So instead he hurriedly stripped out of the pyjama bottoms he was wearing and sneaked closer to the bed. Kei slid back the covers and climbed in next to Sho, pressing himself fully against the younger man's back. Leaning forward and smirking as his arousal pressed against Sho, Kei whispered: "I know we should wait until we're alone, but I couldn't stand lying in the next room all hard for you and not being able to have you."

"Huh?" Came the sleepy voice from the bed, muffled by the corner of the duvet that had been pulled up round his face.

Kei chuckled at Sho's obliviousness and pulled the covers down before leaning in to lick at his neck, just below his ear.

Sho murmured something but it was quite obvious to Kei that he was still mostly asleep. A little irritated, Kei gently nipped at Sho's neck and then dared to bite down hard enough to draw a small amount of blood to the surface.

This got him a reaction but it was not the reaction he was hoping for.

"W-what? What the _FUCK_?"

'Sho' rolled over to face Kei and the vampire's eyes widened in horror when he saw that the man he was in bed with wasn't Sho at all.

"Shinji?" He said in disbelief, whilst fumbling with the duvet in an effort to cover himself.

Shinji raised a hand to his neck and when it came back red with blood he started screaming.

Leaping out of the bed, he landed hard on the floor in a tangle of limbs and, much to Kei's horror, he managed to take the duvet with him leaving the vampire completely exposed.

"You pervert! You fucking pervert!" Shinji was still screaming when Sho, woken by all the commotion, burst into the room.

Kei blushed bright red as Sho paused in the doorway, his gaze flickering down to his arousal and then to Shinji who had backed into the far corner of the room, holding onto his bloodstained neck.

"What's going on?" Sho found his voice at last, although it wavered slightly.

"He's a fucking pervert, that's what's going on." Shinji raged. "He climbed in bed with me and BIT me! And if that wasn't bad enough, he's got a hard on for me!"

"Kei?" Sho asked, turning to the vampire.

"I-I…" Kei stuttered and then trailed off. They didn't want Shinji to know about them so he could hardly say that he thought Shinji was Sho. He sighed and just shook his head.

"I bet he was only trying to scare you a little, weren't you Kei?" Sho covered for him whilst tossing Kei his pyjama bottoms. Kei caught them and quickly pulled them on, finding himself unable to meet Sho's eyes. In all his long life he had never felt so humiliated. He just wished that the sun would come out and burn him up so he didn't have to face the consequences of his stupidity. Under any other circumstances, he would have realised his error straight away, but that dream had got him all hot and bothered and so he had forgotten his senses for a while.

"Scare me?" Shinji echoed, cutting into Kei's embarrassment. "He's a fucking psycho!"

"Well you were horrible to him all evening." Sho pointed out.

"Whatever." Shinji snarled as he gathered up his clothes. "I'm leaving."

"Shinji…" Sho protested at this. "What about Chan?"

"I don't care! I would rather take my chances with him than stay here with that monster one minute more."

"Shinji--" Sho followed him from the bedroom and a small amount of pleading on Sho's part ensured before the front door slammed shut.

Kei sighed to himself and awaited Sho's return and when he did renter the room, he was angry, too.

"What the hell were you playing at just now?"

"I thought he was you!" Kei retorted, his own anger flaring up as he was constantly reminded of his humiliation.

"We swapped because he was finding the sofa uncomfortable. Why didn't you check first? Do you want him to find out about us?"

"I didn't check because I was too aroused by being forced to wait for so long." Kei growled, "And in any case, there is no 'us'."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sho demanded.

"Exactly what I said. There's just been one thing after another since you kissed me. Anything and everything that could happen to stop us being together has happened!"

"So this is just about the sex? Is that what this is about, Kei? Couldn't you wait just a few nights? Where is your self-restraint? Oh yeah, I forgot, you probably haven't had a good lay since Luka--"

Sho broke off as soon as he realised what he had said but by that time it was too late. For Kei, even hearing Luka's name was like a stab through the heart and for it to be used in this context… He swallowed hard, blinking back tears as he fled Sho's bedroom.

* * *

_Baka… baka… baka…_

Sho repeated to himself over and over as he stood hesitantly outside of Kei's bedroom. He had wisely gone out for most of the day, thinking it best to leave Kei alone. So he had hung out at Son and Yi-Che's for a little while and then had gone for a drive. Sho felt so awful for what he had said and wanted to make it up to Kei so badly but now that it was evening again, he just didn't know where to begin or what to say. He just wished that he could reach out and take back the cruel words he had said to Kei. Even though they were said in the heat of the moment, they were unforgivable.

Sho raised his hand to knock on the door but then stopped. What if Kei didn't want to talk to him? What if Kei never wanted to talk to him again? Tears threatened to break free at this although Sho forced them down. He couldn't get upset. If anything Kei was the one who ought to be upset, not Sho.

He had to make amends, Sho knew as he again pictured the pained look on Kei's face when Luka was mentioned. Firmly crushing any thoughts to the contrary, Sho gave up on knocking and entered Kei's bedroom.

The vampire must have sensed that he was there as he was sitting on the edge of the bed nearest the window, looking out at the dark sky.

Sho cleared his throat when Kei didn't turn round. "Kei… I'm… I'm so sorry." Sorry seemed inadequate somehow and Sho ventured round to where Kei was sitting and placed a tentative hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"It's fine." Kei stated quietly, his voice neutral.

"No, it's not." Sho's grip on his shoulder unintentionally tightened. "It was a horrible thing to say and I'll understand if you never want to speak to me again."

"No." Kei shook his head and finally made eye contact with Sho. "It's fine, really."

For Sho, this was worse somehow. He would have preferred it if Kei had shouted at him, but he knew that Kei wouldn't do something like that. The vampire was too introverted for that.

Feeling miserable, Sho sat down beside him. As he did so, something fell free from his pocket and onto the floor. Gasping slightly, he reached for the offending item but Kei got there first. Sho flushed a furious shade of red as Kei studied the packet of condoms in silence and Sho could just imagine the thoughts that were going through his head. Now Kei would think that the only reason that Sho apologised was to get into his trousers. In truth he had forgotten that he still had them since he had found them stuffed down the back of the sofa this morning.

"Kei… this isn't what it…" He trailed off and sighed. What was the point anymore? He had made such a mess of everything else in the past few days.

Sho stood up and snatched the packet back. "I think I'll go and stay with Toshi for a few days, give you some space."

"No." Kei's hand closed around his wrist and stopped him from leaving. "Don't. It's fine. Luka and I… it was a long time ago and you were only angry. It was my fault too so please… stay."

Sho complied and sat back down. As he did so, Kei leaned over and kissed him. His kiss was light and hesitant but deepened when Sho returned it, his arms wrapping around Kei's back to pull him closer. Soon Sho had somehow manoeuvred them back onto the bed, even though he wasn't consciously aware of doing so.

"We don't have to." He began when Kei started to unbutton his shirt.

Kei paused in his task and playfully shrugged his shoulders, "Okay then."

"Kei!" Sho protested when the vampire rolled off on him to lie on the bed beside him.

Sho quickly followed him and straddled his waist and then hurriedly yanking off his shirt before slipping his hands up the tank top that Kei wore. The vampire groaned and reached up to grasp the back of Sho's head and force him down and into another kiss. "Stop being such a tease." He whispered between their lips.

Soon they had managed to divest each other of their clothing and Sho had gone back into the bathroom retrieve the lubricant. Kei sat up on the bed as he returned and Sho sat down opposite him and went to open the tube. The almost childlike giddy smile slowly began to disappear as he struggled with the cap on the tube. Kei scooted closer to ask him what was wrong.

"The lid's stuck." Sho replied.

Kei chuckled and shook his head. "Give it here."

Sho pouted, grumbling about him being a show-off using his vampire strength but did so anyway. After all the delicious sight in front of him meant that he couldn't get annoyed for too long anyway.

Kei sat back down and twisted the cap on the tube but now it was his turn to frown. He tried again but nothing and Sho was battling between frustrated and amused when he saw the vampire struggling.

"Having trouble, Kei?" He couldn't help but tease lightly.

"Not at all." Kei answered sweetly as he took hold of the cap forcefully and gave it a yank. Still nothing. Inspecting the tube, Kei cursed and held it out to Sho. Where Toshi had been using the lube before, he had let it all run down the sides and dry around the cap, essentially causing it to stick itself together.

"Toshi…" Sho growled, "I'm gonna kill him."

Kei groaned and threw the tube across the room where it connected with the bedroom door. He then grabbed Sho by the shoulders and forced him down into another kiss.

"Kei." Sho whined between their kisses, "Don't do this. You know we can't do anything without the lube."

Kei sighed as they parted for breath, "Just go and get the damn cooking oil."

**End**


End file.
